Alexander Rutskoy

Alexander Rutskoy (16 September 1947-) was Vice President of Russia from 10 July 1991 to 4 October 1993, the only Vice President in Russian history. From September to October 1993, Rutskoy and the Supreme Soviet of Russia voted to impeach President Boris Yeltsin after he attempted to dissolve the parliament, leading to a ten-day period of street fighting that resulted in 187 deaths and the dissolution of the Supreme Soviet.

Biography
Alexander Rutskoy was born in Proskuriv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union on 16 September 1947, and he graduated from the Gagarin Air Force Academy in 1980 to become a Soviet Air Force officer. Colonel Rutskoy was sent to fight in the Soviet-Afghan War during the 1980s, and he was twice shot down; on one occasion, he was held captive by the Mujahideen in Pakistan, leading to him being made a Hero of the Soviet Union in 1988. In 1991, he served as Boris Yeltsin's running mate in the 1991 presidential election as a member of the socialist "A Just Russia" party, and he entered office as Vice President on 10 July 1991. Rutskoy supported the independence of Transnistria from Moldova, of Crimea from Ukraine, and of South Ossetia from the Republic of Georgia, and he even went so far as to call Georgian president Eduard Shevardnadze and warn him that Russian Air Force planes would bomb Tbilisi unless he gave South Ossetia its independence.

During the second half of 1992, Rutskoy began to voice his discontent with Yeltsin's economic and foreign policies, and he accused some Russian government officials of corruption. On 1 September 1993, Boris Yeltsin suspended Rutskoy from holding vice-presidential responsibilities, and the Constitutional Court declared that his actions were unconstitutional. On 21 September, Yeltsin angered several traditionalists by attempting to dissolve the Supreme Soviet of Russia, and Rutskoy became acting president the next day. A two-week showdown followed Rutskoy's assumption of presidential duties, as Yeltsin and the Russian Ground Forces reclaimed the Russian White House from Rutskoy and the Supreme Soviet's forces. Rutskoy was imprisoned at Lefortovo Prison until 26 February 1994, and he was granted amnesty by the State Duma. From 23 October 1996 to 18 November 2000, Rutskoy served as Governor of Kursk Oblast, succeeding Vasily Shuteev and preceding Alexander Mikhaylov.